Grasslands By: Marjan, Jeniffer, and Patrick
Intro:by Jen Ruiz Grassland biomes are large, rolling areas of grasses, flowers and herbs. Latitude, soil and local climates for the most part determine what kinds of plants grow in a particular grasslands.There are many types of grasslands around the world. Some of the grasslands are tropical and some are dry grasslands. Grasslands in North America are known as Prairies, and in South America they are known as the Pampas. Eurasia has the Steppes, and in South Africa they are called Savanna and Veldt. Savannas of one sort or another cover almost half the surface of Africa,large areas of Australia, South America, and India. Temperate grasslands are characterized as having grasses as the dominant vegetation. Grassland biomes can be found in the middle latitudes, in the interiors of continents.
(http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands.htm)
Grasslands receive about 10 to 30 inches of rain per year. If they received more rain, the grasslands would become a forest. If they received less, they would become a desert. Grasslands are often located between deserts and forests.
Grassland soil tends to be deep and fertile. The roots of perennial grasses usually penetrate far into the soil. In North America, the prairies were once inhabited by huge herds of bison and pronghorns who fed on the prairie grasses. These herds are almost gone now, and most of the prairies have been converted into the richest agricultural region on earth. Crops grow well in the rich soil.
Plants: by Jen The most common types of plant life on the North American prairie are Buffalo Grass, Sunflower, Asters, Blazing Stars, Coneflowers, Goldenrods, Clover, and Wild Indigos.
(http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands.htm) Animals: By Jen Ruiz Grasslands lack the trees and heavy bush to hide many creatures. Because of the open landscape and the widely spaced trees, grasslands are home to large herds of grazing mammals such as the following:
Climate in grasslands vary depending on its location. West of the Mississippi River the temperature is moist and humid. This allows for some very tall grasses of up to 10 feet. Summers are warm and humid. Winters are cold but not to the extreme. The farther west and in the interior of the country, the temperatures becomes drier. Moisture from the Pacific Ocean is blocked by the mountains. This is where the short-grass prairies are found. Summers are hot and winters very cold.The mean temperatures for the prairie in January is 20° F, and 70° F in July. In a savanna it is very hot, wet season when warm, moist air from the equator moves in. This is followed by a cooler dry season that can last for 8 months or more. Hot, dry air moves in from the Sahara. It is cooler by a few degrees Celsius because there is no moisture to trap the sun's radiant energy, and most of the heat escapes into space again.The Steppes have a cold, dry climate. Here you find short-grass type of plants. The Himalayas block warm, moist air from the Indian Ocean, so there is very little precipitation. Nothing blocks arctic winds though, so winters are very cold and windy.The amount of sunlight depends on the locartion of the grassland.
(http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands_climate.htm )
(by Emma K.2000.)
Grasslands
By: Marjan, Jeniffer, and Patrick
Intro:by Jen Ruiz
Grassland biomes are large, rolling areas of grasses, flowers and herbs. Latitude, soil and local climates for the most part determine what kinds of plants grow in a particular grasslands.There are many types of grasslands around the world. Some of the grasslands are tropical and some are dry grasslands. Grasslands in North America are known as Prairies, and in South America they are known as the Pampas. Eurasia has the Steppes, and in South Africa they are called Savanna and Veldt. Savannas of one sort or another cover almost half the surface of Africa,large areas of Australia, South America, and India. Temperate grasslands are characterized as having grasses as the dominant vegetation. Grassland biomes can be found in the middle latitudes, in the interiors of continents.
(http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands.htm)
(__http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/grasslan.html__)
Precipitation: By Marjan
Grasslands receive about 10 to 30 inches of rain per year. If they received more rain, the grasslands would become a forest. If they received less, they would become a desert. Grasslands are often located between deserts and forests.
Grassland soil tends to be deep and fertile. The roots of perennial grasses usually penetrate far into the soil. In North America, the prairies were once inhabited by huge herds of bison and pronghorns who fed on the prairie grasses. These herds are almost gone now, and most of the prairies have been converted into the richest agricultural region on earth. Crops grow well in the rich soil.
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/like.htm
Plants: by Jen The most common types of plant life on the North American prairie are Buffalo Grass, Sunflower, Asters, Blazing Stars, Coneflowers, Goldenrods, Clover, and Wild Indigos.
African Elephant
Bison
Brown Hyena
Black-footed Ferret
Giraffe
Greater Prairie Chicken
Lion
Ostrich
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Pronghorn
Warthog
(http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/animals/index.htm)
(Grassland: The History, Biology, Politics and Promise of the American Prairie
by Richard Manning)
Climate/Temperature/Sunlight by Jen Ruiz
Climate in grasslands vary depending on its location. West of the Mississippi River the temperature is moist and humid. This allows for some very tall grasses of up to 10 feet. Summers are warm and humid. Winters are cold but not to the extreme. The farther west and in the interior of the country, the temperatures becomes drier. Moisture from the Pacific Ocean is blocked by the mountains. This is where the short-grass prairies are found. Summers are hot and winters very cold.The mean temperatures for the prairie in January is 20° F, and 70° F in July. In a savanna it is very hot, wet season when warm, moist air from the equator moves in. This is followed by a cooler dry season that can last for 8 months or more. Hot, dry air moves in from the Sahara. It is cooler by a few degrees Celsius because there is no moisture to trap the sun's radiant energy, and most of the heat escapes into space again.The Steppes have a cold, dry climate. Here you find short-grass type of plants. The Himalayas block warm, moist air from the Indian Ocean, so there is very little precipitation. Nothing blocks arctic winds though, so winters are very cold and windy.The amount of sunlight depends on the locartion of the grassland.
(http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands_climate.htm )
(by Emma K.2000.)
(http://www.glencoe.com/qe/images/b136/q4309/ch3_0_b.gif)
Energy Flow: By Marjan
http://www.science-art.com/gallery/31/31_7112003035.jpg
Food Chain: By Marjan
http://www.castlefordschools.com/kent/07-08%20lessons/Lessons/Biology%20Lessons/chapter%2016%20&%2017/Biology%20Chapters%2016_files/image024.gif
Grassland Map: By Marjan
http://library.thinkquest.org/J003321/map2.gif
Citation:by Margen and Jen
- Grassland Videos
- Grassland Pictures
- Precipitation
- http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands.htm
-http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/animals/index.htm
-__http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/grasslan.html__
-Living In The Environment: An Introduction To Environmental Science G. Tyler Miller--20th edition; Wadsworth Publishing, Belmont, California,
-Grassland: The History, Biology, Politics and Promise of the American Prairie by Richard Manning published by Penguin Group ,New York,New York , 1995
-Kaplan, Elizabeth. Grasslands (Biomes of the World). New York: Benchmark Books (Ny), 2001
-Cyr, Martha, Ioannis Miaoulis, and Michael J. Padilla. Prentice Hall Science Explorer: Environmental Science. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006.Videos/Pictures By: Marjan